If you’ve listened to the podcast for a while, then you’re probably familiar with each episode’s general format: I have a long-form conversation with an interesting person who is doing important work in the American West. We usually spend about half of the time discussing their work and the other half discussing their personal backstory—a format that I thoroughly enjoy and seems to have struck a chord with a surprisingly large audience of listeners. The episodes are designed to be evergreen—whether you listen to them now or ten years from now, guests offer up timeless lessons you can apply to your own life.
But given our current moment in history and the public health, economic, social, and environmental challenges that have been accelerated by COVID, I’ve decided to periodically experiment with a new episode format, one that I’m calling New West Dispatches. In each New West Dispatch, I’ll speak with an expert about a very specific, current issue that is creating challenges for a specific sector of the American West. We’ll dig deep into the nitty gritty of the topic, going into more detail than usual, with the goal of gaining a better understanding of time-sensitive issues facing the West. We’ll hear firsthand stories from people on the front lines of their sectors, and discuss solutions to the problems at hand. The vast majority of Mountain & Prairie episodes will continue to follow the tried-and-true interview format, but every so often, as opportunities present themselves, I’ll look forward to getting a little more technical with Dispatches.
My guest for the first New West Dispatch is Matt Skoglund. Matt is an attorney-turned-bison rancher who joined me on the podcast last year for a fun and wide-ranging conversation about his path to founding his business North Bridger Bison. Matt came back to discuss some of the specific COVID-related challenges facing his bison business, specifically the astounding shortage of meat processing facilities throughout the American West. As you may remember, when COVID hit in March, there were endless news stories about meat shortages and breakdowns in supply chains linking producers and consumers. Although it’s not on the front page of the paper anymore, large-scale challenges persist, and Matt is in the middle of it all on a daily basis. So he was kind enough to return to the podcast to share his extensive knowledge on the subject, and to offer some potential solutions toward bolstering the food production system here in the West.
Matt covers a lot of ground in less than an hour, so be sure to check out the episode notes for a list of all the topics we discuss and links to resources. Hope you enjoy!
All photos by Chris Douglas for Boot Barn
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EPISODE NOTES
Topics Discussed:
- 4:00 – Overview of North Bridger Bison
- 8:30 – COVID’s effects on meatpacking
- 11:45 – Big outbreaks in packing plants
- 15:30 – Challenges to regenerative ag because of COVID
- 17:30 – Cause of the processing backlog
- 21:00 – Fragility of the US food system
- 23:30 – What prevents entrepreneurs from opening more processing plants?
- 26:00 – Appreciation for good meat
- 29:30 – Grazing as healing for the ecosystem
- 33:00 – Will more meat processing businesses open?
- 35:15 – Will meat processing go back to “normal” after post-COVID?
- 39:00 – Gov. Steve Bullock’s COVID relief
- 40:30 – Labor shortages
- 42:00 – The art of butchery
- 44:00 – Be intentional with impact
- 49:00 – Externalities of cheap meat
- 53:00 – Books to read about meat
- 54:30 – Productive actions to take
Information Referenced:
- North Bridger Bison
- Matt’s first Mountain & Prairie episode
- Wild Idea Buffalo
- Dan O’Brien
- Gallatin Valley Land Trust
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- COVID outbreaks at meat processing plants
- NBB Bees and Butterflies shirt
- Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network
- PRIME Act
- Governor Steve Bullock
- Miles City Community College
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
- Buffalo for the Broken Heart by Dan O’Brien
- Nourishment by Fred Provenza
- Kate Kavanaugh episode
- Kate Kavanaugh in the NY Times
- Ed’s “Good News” email
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these as well:
- Duke Phillips IV – Living with the Land
- Duke Phillips III – A Vision for the New West
- Kate Kavanaugh – Regeneration & Restoration
- Daniela Ibarra-Howell – Healing the Land Holistically
- Jim Howell – Conserving and Restoring the World’s Grasslands
- Carlos Fernandez – The Power of Partnerships
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